Front turn signals & flasher not working

Steamboat · 09-17-2018, 01:41 AM

After having our 17 ACE 30.4 for a year I just came to the realization that the front turn signal lights and the emergency flashers are not working. The back lights are fine. Guess I should have hopped out the rig while signaling to make a turn to verify that they were operational. Of course out of warranty but I’ll be calling Thor to see if there is a fuse or a wiring issue that will need to be address. Anyone ever have a similar problem?

Mr Sunshine · 09-17-2018, 01:55 AM

Ask Thor to send all the schematics available for your specific coach. One of those is the electrical, that shows all the circuits and fuses. Hope this is an easy fix for you.

Steamboat · 09-17-2018, 11:21 AM

Thanks Mr. Sunshine. I guess I should have put my DW on the front of the rig and had her hold on to the windshield wipers while I was driving to check the signals when I made a turn. Hindsight is always 20/20. Unfortunately, I’m not that confident when it comes to messing with the electrical systems. If it’s just a fuse or a wire that’s not connected then no problem but when it comes to checking circuitry my eyes glaze over.

The Gritz Carlton · 09-17-2018, 11:40 AM

OMG...not the wipers...they're known for falling off too!!! It could just be low "blinker fluid". Check the reservoir.

Steamboat · 09-17-2018, 11:56 AM

Checked the blinker fluid and cleaned out the Foo Foo valve too. Nothing!

oleflier · 09-18-2018, 10:14 PM

I lost signals and wipers one day. Found out that I had tripped a breaker above battery when I was doing checks. It had a red reset button on it and a lever that was pointing down(trip indicator) I reset by pushing lever up.

Lt Keefer · 09-18-2018, 10:44 PM

I had a faulty connector on the fuse box near the brake pedal that caused my fog lights not to work. Maybe you could chase the wires back from the lights and look for a plug disconnected.

Steamboat · 09-19-2018, 12:03 AM

Thanks for the suggestions. I will certainly inspect both locations. Thor rep said it sounded like a fuse but didn’t know why the rear signals are working and not the front. He said to check fuses f-15 and f-21. Be nice if it’s in the fuse box in the engine compartment, much easier to get to.

Steamboat · 09-30-2018, 07:18 PM

Well, I still have the issue of no front turn signals or emergency flashers. I’ve checked all of the fuses on the rig, in fact, I was so desperate to find the problem, I even checked the fuses in the RV parked next to me. Since the rear works, I’m sure there is something not plugged-in that feeds the front. Will call Thor and have them email a wiring schematic and hopefully be able to trace it down. There is a plug under the steering wheel that isn’t connected to anything but that seems to be a reoccurring theme for Thor.

Steamboat · 10-03-2018, 07:48 PM

Reaching out for some assistance from those of you who have expertise in vehicle electrical systems for the issue in this thread. I received the electrical schematic from Thor but it doesn’t show the wiring for the turn signals. I have checked all of the fuses and they are good. Question...since the fuses check OK, would one of the relays, which there are many, be something to check? I have almost zero knowledge about troubleshooting an electrical system and would greatly appreciate some guidance.

Lt Keefer · 10-03-2018, 09:42 PM

What I would do is start st the bulbs. Using a meter check for power when the blinker is selected. If no power, trace wires backwards to connectors. Check for power at each connector. Eventually you will find the power and the defect.

Steamboat · 10-03-2018, 10:02 PM

Lt. Keefer: Checked all that you have listed. Traced the wire back as far as was humanly possible. Becomes a very large bundle of wire very quickly and nearly impossible to follow. Will continue to check connectors. Thanks for the reply.

javelin · 10-03-2018, 10:33 PM

Hi......you say you have no electrical troubleshooting experience. This makes it hard to help you help yourself, but let’s start with a general question or two. I see you have a newer ACE (2017), so I was wondering if there have been any changes or work done (by you or anyone else) on the front end (in the engine bay) or around the drivers dash area recently (just prior to this problem showing up)? Do you have a multimeter and know how to use it ? Probably not based on your comments. I don’t know how my own coach light/signals are wired specifically so the following comments are pure speculation.....

I am guessing that when wiring leaves the turn signal switch (includes the four way flasher inter connections with the turn signal switch) at the Driver’s seat, the coach “front and rear facing” signal wires are probably spliced together (maybe even connectorized) somewhere close to the signal switch (perhaps inside the Driver side dash). The front facing left and right signal wires are kept separate as they run to the front signal lights. It seems to me that for both front left and front right signal lights to stop working at the same time means a common problem. You have checked all fuses and you say they are good. It would be unlikely for both front left and front right signal wire splices to open up at the same time (at the point where front and rear signalling wires split off to go forward or to the rear of the coach). I would be leaning toward looking for a common signal lighting ground wire in the engine bay that has loosened or is not making good contact with the chassis. Look around the Driver side of the radiator for chassis ground wires or around the front signal lamps (left and right) for grounding wires going to chassis bolts. If you had a multimeter I would suggest “carefully” checking front signal lamp base connections for 12volts. If there is flashing 12 volts on the meter (with turn switch and ignition on) then bulbs are getting power; you are missing a common ground. If no flashing 12volts on the signal lamp bases then there may be a front facing signal light wiring connector that has come off under the dash. Good luck getting under the driver dash area......

Sorry for the wordy response.

jnschnit · 10-03-2018, 11:34 PM

The turn signals are part of the FORD diagrams for the F53. Looking at the diagrams I have for my 2013 F53 I would almost take a guess and say it is connector C144 which on my year looks like it is located at the rear of the engine compartment? See attachments

javelin · 10-03-2018, 11:50 PM

I'm jealous of those 2013 Ford schematics and the associated connector location info.....how do you obtain those goodies?

jnschnit · 10-04-2018, 12:47 AM

I bought a 72 hour subscription to the service manual site. ($21.95)
https://www.motorcraftservice.com/Purchase/ViewProduct
I did a copy and paste of the info into a powerpoint and then did a pdf print so that I have the info in the coach at all times.

javelin · 10-04-2018, 01:43 AM

Thanks for the info on getting the Ford schematics etc. a very good idea.

Steamboat · 10-04-2018, 06:06 PM

Yes, thank you for sharing the information.

Beau388 · 10-04-2018, 09:17 PM

You have three wring harness for the exterior lights. If the instrument panel turn indicator lights and the rear exterior lights work properly, you have the front wiring harness that is shorted, disconnected or corroded. I would suggest it is a connector problem between the main harness and the front harness.

Mitch S · 10-04-2018, 11:08 PM

It is possible that the turn signal switch is bad. It doesn't happen very often, but I've had to replace them on a few dump trucks over the years. I would usually take the old switch apart to see if I could tell what happened to them, but never did find a definite cause for the failure.

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